1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to a computer system and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a computer system having a touch pad and a control method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a computer system comprises a main body part, a display to display an image, and an inputting device connected with the main body unit to input commands and data. Keyboards and mice are widely used inputting devices.
Recently, computer systems have begun including a touch pad as an input device. The touch pad is usually arranged in a planar shape, provided in a portable computer as a pointing device, and functions like a mouse. If a user moves a finger along the surface of the touch pad, pressure caused by the finger is converted into a voltage or into an electric current. The CPU calculates position coordinates of areas touched by the finger based on the converted signal. The position of a cursor or a pointer displayed on a monitor is moved, or an operation such as a mouse click or a movement of a scroll bar can be performed, according to the calculated position coordinates.
However, in conventional computer systems provided with touch pads, the touch pad can perform only the functions of a mouse. Accordingly, a keyboard to input characters should also be provided. In addition, as the size of computers continues to decrease, the inclusion of both a touch panel and a keyboard in the computer may create portability problems due to the larger volume needed to incorporate both types of input devices into the same system.
Computers incorporating the touch screen into the display receive pressure signals generated as a user touches the surface of the touch screen/display. The computer translates the pressure signals into the motion of a pointer or the inputting of a character. However, if characters are inputted through the touch screen, part of the display can not be utilized, since a portion of the visual space is taken up by a virtual keyboard.